It was a night like most others for Norm Pattiz, sitting in the same L.A. Lakers courtside seats he had occupied for about 25 years. At some point between Kobe Bryant splitting two defenders for a dunk or a Pau Gasol 3-pointer that put the purple and gold up by 10, he had an important conversation.

This has been a befuddling and somewhat obnoxious week for MMA, hasn’t it? We had Rampage Jackson debut in Bellator last Friday in front of nearly 800,000 viewers. We had the final build and execution of the UFC’s 20th anniversary show, a show that ended up with more animosity than celebration. We had Georges St.